Williams ordered to produce records in dispute over ring

A Harris County state district judge Friday instructed attorneys for former Texans defensive lineman Mario Williams to turn over his cellular phone and certain financial and medical records for potential examination by attorneys for Williams’ former fiancée.

State District Judge Larry Weiman’s ruling came during the latest episode in the legal squabble between Williams, who now plays for the Bills, and Erin Marzouki of Houston, whom he sued in May to regain possession of a 10.04-carat diamond engagement ring. The two were engaged from February 2012 through January of this year.

Tony Buzbee, the Houston attorney representing Marzouki, was seeking a wide range of financial and medical records from Williams, including his tax returns, his contract with the Bills, financial and medical records dating back to 2011 and access to Williams’ cell phone to check text messages and other data.

Weiman ruled that Williams’ attorneys, Michael Gary Orlando and Monica Orlando of Houston, must hand over the phone plus certain documents, but only those covering the time of the couple’s engagement. The phone will be examined by a court-appointed master, who will determine what data, if any, should be withheld from Marzouki’s attorneys that may not be relevant to the lawsuit.

All of the information, the judge said, would be sealed under a protective order and will not be available for public view.

Williams said in his lawsuit filed in early May that Marzouki “unilaterally terminated” the engagement and refused his request to return the diamond engagement ring valued at $785,000. Buzbee countered that Williams broke the engagement and made false statements about Marzouki in the lawsuit that warranted an investigation by Harris County prosecutors to determine whether he had committed perjury.

Buzbee has been the verbal aggressor during the pretrial phase, and that pattern continued Friday.

“You want to play? Let’s play,” he said at one point. During another exchange, he said, “We want that phone, and we want it now. Then I will take his deposition, and I’m going to ask (Williams) some hard questions. He needs to be asked the hard questions.”

Buzbee also said he needed access to a wide range of documents to determine whether Williams was unfaithful to Marzouki during their engagement, engaged in “sexting” with other women or purchased gifts for other women. He said he also wanted access to medical records to determine whether Williams suffered from mood swings that might explain what Marzouki claims was Williams’ decision to end the engagement.

Monica Orlando countered that Buzbee was seeking wide access to documents because he was “fishing” for information to bolster a weak defense.

No trial date has been set for the case. Weiman indicated that one of the first elements of fact that a jury will be asked to determine is who terminated the engagement, and was the termination based on fault by either party.

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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